At dawn on the first morning of shotgun deer season, Nov. 28, a shot rang out near the residence of Jeanne Russo on Bayview Avenue in Berkley. The gunshot woke Russo. Guessing it was nothing, Russo went back to sleep. Later, however, she awoke to discover the round had struck a win...

At dawn on the first morning of shotgun deer season, Nov. 28, a shot rang out near the residence of Jeanne Russo on Bayview Avenue in Berkley.

The gunshot woke Russo.

Guessing it was nothing, Russo went back to sleep. Later, however, she awoke to discover the round had struck a window in the rear of her house — a window roughly 4 feet from where her 95-year-old mother-in-law sleeps.

The round, a Hornady rifle or shotgun bullet, was found on the bedroom windowsill. It was approximately the size of a dime, according to Russo.

Luckily, neither the round nor the shattered glass injured anyone in the house.

"The most important thing is nobody got hurt," said Russo.

However, the possibility that someone could have been injured was enough to make Russo contact police.

"I was afraid to not do anything," she said. "I just didn’t want to sweep this under the rug and have anything happen to someone."

The property

The land behind Russo’s residence is owned by the Bay State Beagle Club, and they frequently use the grounds for hunting.

According to Russo, the use of guns on the grounds owned by the Beagle Club is a new thing, and they previously used the lot merely to track rabbits with their trained dogs.

"We’ve always had an excellent relationship with the Beagle Club," said Russo. "They’ve been wonderful neighbors for 25 years."

Looking into it

Investigations into the incident were launched by Berkley Police on Nov.. 28, and the Massachusetts Environmental Police on Dec. 4.

According to the Berkley police incident report, three hunters from the Beagle Club were hunting in the area on the morning of Nov. 28, and one of the hunters reportedly carried ammunition that matched the round found on Russo’s windowsill.

The hunter with Hornady rounds claimed the broken window was not caused by him, and he declined to comment when contacted by the Taunton Daily Gazette.

The hunter also told police that nobody had been trespassing on Beagle Club property that morning, and the three hunters were the only ones on that land, according to the police report.

The investigations are ongoing, and so far no charges have been filed.

"My guys up there said that it wasn’t them, and I support them," said Beagle Club President Greg Desroches. "I support my men."

Desroches also said the hunters from the Beagle Club arrived in the area after the shot that struck Russo’s residence was reportedly fired.

Deer season

Shotgun deer season began half an hour before sunrise on Nov. 28, around the time the slug broke Russo’s window.

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According to the “Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife: Guide to Hunting, Freshwater Fishing and Trapping,” "During shotgun deer season hunters may use shotguns not larger than 10 gauge, bows and arrows, or muzzle-loaders not smaller than .44 caliber, or larger than .775 caliber."

A firearm also may not be discharged, nor a bow released, within 500 feet of any dwelling or building in use, or within 150 feet of any state or hard-surfaced highway.